1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an Internet facsimile apparatus for transmitting and receiving image data using an e-mail system.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally an information terminal device such as a personal computer comprises a large-capacity memory device and stores all received data at the memory device. A user identifies the data content indicated on a display screen before decides whether or not the data is printed at a printer.
On the contrast, since an Internet facsimile apparatus for transmitting and receiving image data using an e-mail system does not have an enough-capacity memory device, it converts the received data into facsimile data sequentially to print, and deletes sequentially the data which printing is completed. A user recognizes the received data content by identifying a recording paper on which the data is printed.
The processing of data reception up to printing at a conventional Internet facsimile apparatus is explained using a flow chart in FIG.1 in the following.
First the e-mail data received at an Internet facsimile apparatus is temporally stored (ST101 and ST102).
And it is decided whether or not the stored data is printable (ST103), then when it is possible to print the stored data, the stored data is converted into a facsimile format and printed (ST104 and ST105). On the other hand, when it is impossible to print the stored data, the stored data is deleted (ST106).
As described above, in the case of receiving an unprintable e-mail data, since the conventional Internet facsimile apparatus deletes the data, a user can not recognize that the data is received and either can not identify the data content even using another method.
The object of the present invention is to provide an Internet facsimile apparatus in which, when an unprintable e-mail data is received, a user can recognize that the data is received and can identify the data content.
The object of the present invention is achieved, when an unprintable e-mail data is received, by printing an error message including sender information and an attached file format, and transferring information concerning the reception of an unprintable e-mail to another information terminal device.